The present application relates, in general, to electronics, and more particularly, to semiconductors, structures thereof, and methods of forming semiconductor devices.
In the past, the semiconductor industry has utilized various methods to form semiconductor devices. Semiconductor wafers can be used as the substrates for production of semiconductor devices. A substrate wafer can be made of a bulk semiconductor material such as silicon or a bulk material with a top layer, for example deposited using a homo- or hetero-epitaxial deposition process, or a wafer bonding process.
Semiconductor substrates can be processed in highly-automated wafer fabs that use identification of each wafer. Also, engineering tests may have required additional identification of the processed wafers. Such identification can be provided with laser scribing on the wafer. A laser beam can be used to locally melt the material and thereby a visible “spot” was produced. From such spots symbols can be created. In some cases it was difficult for equipment to read the identification marked onto the wafers. If the identification markings could not be read, it was difficult or impossible to use the wafers in the automated fabs.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a method of forming a semiconductor device that facilitates laser marking, and a method of marking a semiconductor device that improves the markings.
For simplicity and clarity of the illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and the same reference numbers in different figures denote the same elements. Additionally, descriptions and details of well-known steps and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description. As used herein current carrying electrode means an element of a device that carries current through the device such as a source or a drain of an MOS transistor or an emitter or a collector of a bipolar transistor or a cathode or anode of a diode, and a control electrode means an element of the device that controls current through the device such as a gate of an MOS transistor or a base of a bipolar transistor. Although the devices are explained herein as certain N-channel or P-Channel devices, or certain N-type of P-type doped regions, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that complementary devices are also possible in accordance with the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the words during, while, and when as used herein are not exact terms that mean an action takes place instantly upon an initiating action but that there may be some small but reasonable delay, such as a propagation delay, between the reaction that is initiated by the initial action. The use of the word approximately or substantially means that a value of element has a parameter that is expected to be very close to a stated value or position. However, as is well known in the art there are always minor variances that prevent the values or positions from being exactly as stated. It is well established in the art that variances of up to about ten percent (10%) (and up to twenty percent (20%) for semiconductor doping concentrations) are regarded as reasonable variances from the ideal goal of exactly as described. For clarity of the drawings, doped regions of device structures are illustrated as having generally straight line edges and precise angular corners. However, those skilled in the art understand that due to the diffusion and activation of dopants the edges of doped regions generally may not be straight lines and the corners may not be precise angles.